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“Of course” was the reply. “Get your butt in here.”
Dana happily entered. Candy was in her cluttered kitchen, preparing what most people would assume were regular cookies, but Dana knew they were homemade dog treats that had just come out of the oven. Candy was a yoga instructor who also taught classes in doga: yoga for dogs. On top of that, she was a strikingly beautiful, long-legged brunette who ate a strict vegetarian diet, burned luscious-smelling candles and spoke evasively about her failed marriage.
“Where’s Yogi?” Dana asked, inquiring about Candy’s yellow lab and the queen of doga.
“Napping. So what’s your news?”
“I asked him to take me on a date.”
“Him? Your hottie customer?”
Dana nodded. “I even told him that he was yummy.” She relayed her conversation with Eric. “I’m going to plan my wardrobe for tomorrow night, just in case.”
“Good idea. Send it into the universe and make it happen.”
“The hippy-dippy way?”
“Yep.”
They laughed. Hippy-dippy was a phrase Dana’s mom used to describe her free-spirited lifestyle. Mom was much more conservative, aside from the wild one-nighter she’d had with Dana’s elusive dad.
Candy turned serious. “When did Eric’s wife pass away?”
“Seven years ago.”
“And he hasn’t dated since?”
“That’s the impression I got. He said he’s been out of the loop since then.”
“Does he have any kids?”
“A daughter. She’s a business major at UCLA, with a minor in women’s studies.”
“She sounds interesting. Have you ever met her?”
“No. He’s never brought her to the diner. He’s never even told me her name. But he speaks highly of her.”
“What else do you know about him?”
“Besides him being a widowed art teacher with an eighteen-year-old daughter? Nothing, except that I want to go out with him and make him smile.”
“This isn’t a fixer-upper project, is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“He sounds a bit broken, and you’re drawn to troubled people, Dana.”
“You’re not troubled.” She amended her statement. “Well, maybe you are, but that’s not why I’m friends with you.”
Naturally, Candy didn’t remark on her state of mind. They both knew that she’d yet to make peace with her divorce.
Instead she asked, “Did Eric ever tell you how his wife died?”
“She had cancer. But he never said what kind or how long her battle lasted. He only mentioned it briefly.”
“How badly do you think he misses her?”
“I don’t know, but I can tell that he’s still struggling to get over her loss.”
“Does that concern you?”
“Actually, I think it’s nice that he loved her so much. What kind of man would he be if he’d never loved his wife?”
“Not a very good one,” Candy replied, a tad too uncomfortably.
Dana studied her friend. Was that a reference to her ex? If it was, Candy wasn’t saying anything else. And Dana didn’t push her. Instead she said about Eric, “I really hope he agrees to go out with me.”
“What happened to your plan-your-wardrobe-for-tomorrow-night confidence?”
“I guess I’m getting a little nervous that he’ll decline the offer. But I’m still picking out something to wear. My crush on him isn’t going away anytime soon.”
Yogi came into the kitchen and yawned. Apparently she was up from her nap. Dana patted her head. “Hey, sweetie.” The dog wagged her tail and sniffed the canine-cookie air.
“Do you think Eric is a dog person or a cat person?” Candy asked.
“Hmm. Good question. I’d venture to guess cats.” He had a catlike quality about him, warm but still somehow aloof. “You should see him. Tall and dark and chiseled. He’s half Cherokee.”
“How do you know what his heritage is?”
“He wore a Native Pride T-shirt once, and I asked him about it.”
“So that’s one more thing you know about him.”
Dana nodded. “It isn’t much, is it? For a whole year? But I haven’t told him everything about myself, either. Mostly I just refill his water more than I should as an excuse to keep returning to his table.”
“I’ll bet he appreciates you doting on him.”
“He certainly watches me a lot. I can always feel those dark eyes roving over me whenever I walk away.”
“Sounds like a mutual crush.”
“You have no idea how many times I’ve fantasized about him while I was in bed, moaning like a tart.” For the sake of drama, she pulled a vintage Meg Ryan and demonstrated the noises she made.
Candy laughed. “Are you going to tell him that?”
She laughed, too. “Sure? Why not? I’ve been known to say what’s on my mind.” And these days Eric took up a lot of room in her mind. “I’m going to go dig through my closet now.” She wanted to choose an ensemble that would please him. Maybe even something that showed off a bawdy bit of cleavage.
’Cause life was too important to waste.
* * *
Eric couldn’t do it. He couldn’t date someone as young as Dana. Hell, he couldn’t date anyone at all. He wasn’t ready, not even for something casual. Keeping to himself was easier.
He picked up his cell phone, intending to call Dana and decline her offer, but he dialed his daughter, Kaley, instead, needing to hear her voice.
She’d chosen to live in a dorm, even though her campus was fairly close to home. Eric supported her decision. He wanted his daughter to spread her wings, to find her independence, to enjoy her youth. But damn, he missed seeing her every day. Of course, she still came by on weekends sometimes. But between her studies and her social life, those weekend visits were becoming less frequent.
“Hi, Dad,” she said, by way of a phone greeting.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Getting ready to go out. I’m going to a Valentine-themed party with my girlfriends. There’s another one tomorrow night, too. Both of them are for singles only. How great is that?”
Valentine’s Day was on Monday. It was a holiday he no longer celebrated, but apparently Kaley and her crowd were intent on enjoying it. He feigned an upbeat tone. “Sounds fun.” It also sounded as if she wasn’t going to be home any time this weekend.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He almost said, “Nothing,” but he didn’t want her to feel bad for him, so he replied, “I was invited to a gallery opening tomorrow.”
“Really? Are you going to go?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided.” That was better than admitting the truth.
Kaley didn’t ask who invited him. She probably thought it was one of his old artist friends. He wouldn’t have told her who it was, anyway, so he was glad that she hadn’t asked.
“You should see me, Dad. I’m wearing this cheesy pink gown.” She laughed. “And a tiara. The party tonight is dress-up.”
He smiled. She used to love wearing princess getups when she was a kid. “Take a picture and send it.”
“I will, as soon as I get my lipstick on.”
“Pink, I presume.”
“What else?” She made a silly kissing sound. “I love you, Daddy. Have fun at the gallery opening tomorrow.”
“I didn’t say I was going.”
“Well, you should. It’s just your sort of thing.”
He sidestepped her encouragement. “I love you, too, kissy Kaley. Be good.”
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
They said goodbye and as he ended the call, a big jolt of emptiness consumed his heart. But that didn’t stop him from dialing Dana to decline her offer.
“Hello?” She answered in an eager tone. Hoping, perhaps, that it was him on the other end?
“Hi. It’s Eric.”
“Oh, I’m so glad you called, especially now. I’ve been trying on clothes for our date, just in case you say yes. I want to look amazing and blow you away.”
Eric winced. She was too young and sweet for the likes of him. “I just talked to my daughter. She said that she was wearing a pink gown and a tiara to a Valentine-themed party. She’s supposed to send me a picture.”
“How fun. I’ll bet she’s going to have a great time. The gallery opening is Valentine art.”
“I’m not going to go, Dana.”
“Come on. Don’t bail on me. Please. I really want to have a nice evening with you.”
“I’m just not up for it.”
A smile sounded in her voice. “How about if I send you a picture of what I’m going to wear?”
In spite of himself, he laughed. “I’d rather be surprised.”
“Does that mean you’re going to go?”
Did it? He glanced at the photos on the fireplace mantel, particularly the one from his wedding. Corrine had been an incredibly beautiful bride with her traditional white dress and misty veil. They’d gotten married at the beach. She’d always loved the sand and the surf. He did, too.
“You’re confusing me,” he said.
“Confusing you into having some fun?”
Just confusing him in general. “What gallery is it?”
“It’s a new one near the beach.”
He glanced at the portrait again. “Which beach?”
“Santa Monica.”
Eric’s stomach clenched. The same one where he’d said his vows. Was this a cosmic joke? “Dana—”
“Please.” She persisted again. “Just give me a chance. One date. One kiss afterward.”
A kiss? Now that was all he was going to be thinking about. He’d already been thinking about it at the diner, too. Could she tell? Did she know? Had he been that obvious? “You don’t play fair.”
“A little romance never hurt anyone.”
Romance had hurt him plenty. In the picture, he was standing barefoot on the shore in his tux, with his pant legs rolled up past his ankles, holding his new bride in his arms. He remembered scooping her up and making her squeal.
Dana said, “I really want to kiss you.”
He wanted to kiss her, too. He wanted to put his mouth against hers and forget how lonely he was. “This is dangerous.”
“It’s a date, Eric.”
“And a kiss,” he reminded her.
